


On the Flip Side

by MrsHamill



Series: Sandman Crossover Project [10]
Category: The Sandman (Comics)
Genre: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Multiple Crossovers, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 22:08:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6027093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsHamill/pseuds/MrsHamill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Another meeting. Pairing: Buffy/Death</p>
            </blockquote>





	On the Flip Side

**Author's Note:**

> Sian started it.

* * *

"We have _got_ to stop meeting like this!"

At the strangely familiar voice, her head came up and she turned. There was a girl standing there, about her height and weight with a mass of dark hair on her head and a silver ankh around her neck. "Oh! It's you! I remember you!"

The girl smiled. "I remember you, too."

She blinked, suddenly confused. "But... I didn't remember you, before, I mean, I thought..."

"You wouldn't. That's the way works, I'm afraid. I saw you when you were born too, I see everyone when they're born, but you're not allowed to remember that, either."

Frowning, rubbing her forehead, she tried to make sense of that. "I don't... I mean, I'm not sure I get it." As the girl smiled in sympathy she suddenly remembered. "Dawn! Is she..."

"She's fine," the girl answered her quickly, soothingly. "They're all fine. Everyone but you."

Ah. "Okay. I get it, then. You're Death.

That earned her a brilliant, if sympathetic, smile. "Yup. And you're the Slayer."

"Was." She looked around, but the area didn't seem familiar at all. It was mostly oddly-shaped shadows, though there was a brilliant light in the distance, to her left. "I think that's the right word, anyway."

"Yeah, that's about right." Death nodded.

"Last time, we just sat and talked." She looked back to Death. "That's not going to happen now, though, is it?"

"No. I'm afraid it's the real thing, now."

She nodded. "I thought so. At least this time, it didn't hurt, not like last time anyway. _That_ hurt."

Death turned and began slowly walking toward the bright light, and she followed. "I've got to say, drowning is probably one of the worst ways to go."

"Well, you've seen them all, so you would know." 

"Not having experienced it myself, I can really only guess. But that's what a lot of people have said. And it doesn't look particularly pleasant, I must say."

She nodded and they walked together, slowly. Nothing around them appeared clear-cut or clearly visible, and it was quite cold. Much colder than Sunnydale had been. She wrapped her arms around herself. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, we need to go that way, into the light." Death snorted in amusement. "Nobody is allowed to remember me, but a lot of them remember the light."

"I remember that! The last time, I mean." She paused, cocked her head and turned to look behind her. "But it was the cave, last time, I mean, it wasn't like we moved or anything." 

"Well, there you weren't going to really cross over. Your friends brought you back. That's why I didn't touch you, while we talked." Death stopped walking to remain near her. "It's confusing, I know."

"In a way, though, it's not." She rubbed her arms. "I mean, it's actually easier. I don't hurt, and, well, it's really nice to have someone so nice to talk to." She smiled shyly, and Death smiled back, an open, giving and forgiving smile. "But really, you don't look at _all_ like I would have expected."

Death giggled. "No, I guess not. I surprise a lot of people." They started walking again. "Especially the guys. They can just _never_ believe it."

"Maybe if you started wearing a long black robe and carrying a honkin' big razor around..."

"Don't you start! My big brother is always getting on me for not dressing _appropriately._ Drives me nuts."

"Huh? Your big brother? You have a brother?"

"Three of them, actually, though one... well, he's taking a long vacation. And maybe you could say four brothers, well, sometimes, anyway, when that one isn't being female."

Her bewilderment must have shown on her face because Death smiled again. "Don't worry about it. It's confusing, even for us, and we're not mortal or human."

"You know, either I'm getting better at accepting things that just don't make sense or I've gone freakazoid, but whatever." 

Even though they'd been walking very slowly, the bright light finally appeared directly before them, like a door into the sun. It was so bright it almost hurt her eyes to look, but she could have sworn she saw vague shadows moving beyond it. Her natural wariness took over. "There's no... I mean, there won't be any... you know. Demons."

"Oh! No. I don't think so. I've only seen those when I take other demons to the other side. And anyway, you're the Slayer. You could handle those, I think."

"Wait a minute, you take--" she interrupted herself, shaking her head. "Never mind. I really, _really_ don't want to know." 

They stood before the doorway, the gateway, whatever you'd call it, for quite some time. Death didn't seem to be rushing her along, and she was still reluctant to make that final step. She glanced at Death out of the corner of her eye. "Will I get to see mom again?"

Death smiled sweetly and held out her hand. "Let's find out."

Buffy Anne Summers took a deep breath and grasped the hand extended to her, feeling the tug of something beyond, something on the other side, something waiting for her. Something loving. "I guess this is goodbye, then," she murmured, as they stepped through, into the light.

"Let's... hold on to that thought for a while, just in case..." Death replied with a grin.


End file.
